狙 meaning and stroke order
Monkey, ape; to spy, to watch for; to lie in ambush
How to write 狙, stroke by stroke
8 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 狙
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- macaque
- to spy
- to lie in ambush
How 狙 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Animal.
犭 gives the meaning and 且 hints at the sound.
Radical: 犭 (dog), shared by 88 characters on this site.
How to remember 狙
狙 combines the animal radical 犭 with 且 (qiě), which gives the sound. Picture an animal crouched low and still, watching its prey before it strikes.
Today 狙 (jū) almost always appears in words about shooting or attacking from hiding, especially 狙击 (jūjī) and 狙击手 (jūjīshǒu). The old meaning of macaque survives mainly in classical texts. Example: 他是一名狙击手。(Tā shì yì míng jūjīshǒu.) He is a sniper.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 狙 with 阻 (zǔ, to block) and 组 (zǔ, group), which share the 且 part but have different sounds and meanings. Remember that 狙 is first tone jū, not zǔ.
Common words with 狙
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 狙击手 | jūjīshǒu | sniper; marksman | |
| 狙击 | jūjī | to snipe (shoot from hiding) |
Questions about 狙
How many strokes are in 狙?
狙 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 狙 mean?
狙 (jū) means monkey, ape; to spy, to watch for; to lie in ambush. A common word with it is 狙击手 (jūjīshǒu), meaning "sniper; marksman".
How do you pronounce 狙?
狙 is pronounced jū, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 狙?
The radical of 狙 is 犭, which carries the idea of "dog". Dictionaries list 狙 under this radical.
Can 狙 be used alone as a verb?
In modern speech it is rarely used alone. You will almost always see it inside compounds such as 狙击 (jūjī) or 狙杀 (jūshā, to kill by sniping).
What does 狙击 mean outside of military contexts?
It can be used figuratively for a targeted attack, for example in finance or sports. 狙击对手 (jūjī duìshǒu) means to strike at a rival in a planned way.